After the Yule Ball
by Kay Elle Hunter
Summary: Written well before the release of OotP (some things are different), this story is what I wished had happened after the Yule Ball. (RHr) But then OotP came out and it got proved impossible... anyway...


**- After the Yule Ball -  
**  
_By Kay Elle Hunter_  
  
If only she knew how I felt, Ron thought. He was lying in bed, swept up in thought and unable to sleep.  
  
It was a couple of hours after the Yule Ball and the argument between him and Hermione was still clear in his mind. He would've asked her to go with him the moment they found out about it, but he didn't want to show his feelings for her. So he had waited until the last minute and made it look like she was his last resort, but it was too late, she was already going with Krum. Then when the ball came he showed he was jealous. Hermione noticed of course and what did she do, she started yelling at him about the whole "just realising she was a girl and asking her as a last resort" issue. He of course knew she was a girl way before now, he had a crush on her since first year, after all. He had admitted his crush on her in second year, but going by the fact she was Petrified at the time, she hadn't heard him.  
  
What am I going to do? Ron asked himself, should I tell her?  
  
"Yes," said a soft voice in his brain, "tell her your feelings. You never know, she might feel the same way."  
  
Ron got out of bed and grabbed his wand off his bedside table. He exited the fourth year boys' dormitory and made his way down the dark stairs to the common room.  
  
"Lumos," he muttered as he started walking up the stairs to the girls' dormitories. A small beam of light appeared at the end of his wand and he started reading the signs on the doors. Many of them said Girls Only, but that didn't stop him when he came to the door that said fourth years. He opened it and found five four-poster beds, identical to his own. Two were empty and two had their hangings drawn, but one had a beautiful figure wearing a blue nightgown lying comfortably on it, a small black book beside her.  
  
"Hermione?" he whispered approaching the bed quietly. She didn't move, just stayed in the comfortable position, sleeping silently. He sat down beside her and bent down to whisper in her ear, "Hermione?"  
  
This time she moved, waking up with a moan. "Who is it?" she asked, rubbing her eyes and trying to see through the dark. "Parvati? Lavender?"  
  
"No, it's me, Ron," he whispered. Hermione stopped rubbing her eyes and stared at the black figure beside her.  
  
"Ron, what are you doing in here?" she asked, also whispering.  
  
"I came to tell you something," Ron answered, still whispering.  
  
"But it's three in the morning, can't it wait?" she whispered, looking at her watch, which glowed in the dark.  
  
"No, it can't."  
  
"Then hurry up and tell me," Hermione whispered back snappishly.  
  
"I-I-I like you. A lot," he said quickly. He was glad it was dark because his face was burning very hot.  
  
"Y-you what?"  
  
"I like you. I have since first year –" Hermione was now sitting up, listening contently with rather wide eyes. She was well awake now. Ron kept talking, "I told you in second year, but you were Petrified so you didn't hear me."  
  
"Oh Ron, I like you too!" Hermione said, hoping she wouldn't wake Parvati or Lavender, which she didn't.  
  
"Y-you do?" Ron asked.  
  
"Yes, I do. I would've loved it if I went to the Ball with you, but then Viktor –"  
  
"Shut up, will you?" Ron interrupted.  
  
"Okay," she whispered and she grabbed the back of his neck, pulled him forward and started kissed him softly. It took a moment, probably due to shock, before he responded.  
  
The kiss broke and Ron was first to speak, "can we keep this a secret? Us I mean?"  
  
"What about Harry?" Hermione asked.  
  
"He'll find out soon enough. Next year maybe if everything's not too hectic," Ron said.  
  
"Alright," Hermione said. "You better get back to bed, you need some sleep."  
  
"Yeah I better. Goodnight Hermione," and with that he gave her quick kiss on the lips and left.  



End file.
